Disclaimer: As this is a website for fanfiction, I do not own any of the characters used in the story below. That is all; carry on!
He made no noise as he entered through the window. His footsteps were silent as he stole across the room. She never stirred as he bent over to touch her sleeping face.
And in an instant SLAM! One hand ensnared his wrist while the other held a kunai to his throat.
"Good evening, Itachi," she snarled.
"It is a bit too late to call it an evening, I would say," the missing-nin replied conversationally. "I could tell the moment you woke up, Hana; you should know that I allowed you to catch me like this."
Inuzuka Hana growled as she released his wrist and brought the kunai back. "And I assume you could also escape with ease if you wanted to. Now, you're here for something, Itachi; I'm guessing that you don't sneak into many kunoichis' rooms without a valid reason, right?"
"You were always the most formal Inuzuka in the village, I suppose. Even if you don't waste much time with pleasantries." Itachi tilted his head and looked her over.
"Don't avoid the question," Hana demanded. "I'd like to get back to sleep soon. An animal-oriented squad returns tomorrow and I'm sure their animal companions will need more than their fair share of my help."
The Uchiha looked at the wall behind her. Then closed his eyes. Then-
"I love you."
Hana sneered. "Thanks. Thanks for telling me –how many?- eight years after you left me heartbroken and crying after you. Do you know that I'd never cried over a man before you? Haven't since, either. I love you, too, but obviously we have some issues."
"I'm going to die soon," Itachi continued, his eyes still closed.
Hana blinked in surprise. "You… you're what?"
"I'm sick. I've been injured. I'm weakened sufficiently that I could be beaten by my brother."
Concern flashed in her eyes only to just as quickly be replaced by determination. "Sasuke hasn't found you for years; why would he find you now? If you keep lying low for a few months, you'll get your strength back and we'll never need to have any more conversations like this."
Itachi smiled sadly and looked at her. "I could say that he only hasn't found me because he hasn't been actively searching very long, or that lately I've accidentally left clues indicating where I've been. But those are untrue and I think telling you the truth would work out better in the long run. I want him to kill me."
"What? Why?" Hana almost yelled, but caught herself after remembering she wasn't the only person in this house.
"He must always live believing that I am the villain," Itachi said simply. "If he knew it was the council that put me up to it, he would go after them and in turn destroy Konoha. I would much rather he destroy me and be done with it than go after countless other people, especially if he blurs the line between friend and enemy."
"So destroy Sasuke instead," Hana said, almost pleading. "He may find out the truth after you're gone and go after Konoha anyway. Eliminate that possibility and be done with it!"
"Sasuke has people who love him." Itachi looked at her in the eye. "He has his old teammates. His old sensei. Others, I'm sure; he was always popular. And if I kill him- which I couldn't do anyway, compliments of love- they'll come after me and it's possible I would wind up killing one or more of them, which would spark a whole new attack. As for me, you are the only one who loves me. No one in the Akatsuki," he added as she opened her mouth to object. "They view me as an asset to the organization and a comrade, but nothing more. Even my partner only views me fondly, but nothing anyone would call 'love.' I have nothing worth living for except you. I am a wanted man, hunted for a crime that wasn't my fault. My own brother, who I fought tooth and nail to protect, has dedicated his life to killing me. I might as well let him succeed and then use the rest of his life for something worthwhile."
"No," Hana whispered. "You can't do this. Didn't you say you still had me? Are you really going to do this to me?"
"I am falling apart already." He turned his face towards the window. "A side effect of the Mangekyo Sharingon is loss of eyesight. I can't see anything farther than a meter from my face now, and it's only getting worse. I have been relying primarily on my ears and vibrations in the air for the last year or so."
Hana gritted her teeth and growled. "So now what? Have you come here just to say, 'Oh, I've always loved you, and I'm sorry I ditched you and broke your heart, but I'm going to go die now. See you in the afterlife'? I'm surprised you even risked coming here."
"Nobody knew we were together," Itachi replied. "Everyone assumed I was in a relationship with my second cousin Uchiha Naomi, who became a victim of the massacre. If they had known we were in love they would have interrogated you after my attack, in case you knew something."
"Which they would have been right about," the brunette muttered. "I don't understand why you never listen to me, Itachi. I still believe to this day that you should have told the council to suck it and left the village; then at least you'd be a missing nin with a family."
"Uchihas do not have the same pack mentality as Inuzukas. Then the Uchiha would have continued with their takeover attempt and all would have been killed, imprisoned, or exiled. And there would have been civilians or other ninja that lost their lives as well. At least the clan kept its reputable name and Sasuke grew up outside prison walls."
The Inuzuka laughed, a bark-like sound. "Reputable? The Uchiha clan? There's a laugh. Nowadays that name is synonymous with egocentric, evil, power-crazy madmen. The only two Uchiha alive are both S-rank criminals known for murder on their minds. Hardly a reputable name, if you ask me."
"I never wanted this for Sasuke," Itachi said as his brow furrowed. "I wanted him to grow older and stronger, kill me one day- while still a part of Konoha- and then recreate the Uchiha clan as less power-crazed and less arrogant with the Sharingon. Had I known he would flee Konoha, especially when that meant going to Orochimaru…" He grimaced and closed his eyes. "I don't know what I would have done differently. But I should have stopped him."
Hana bit her lip and, hesitantly, reached out and took Itachi's hand. "Itachi…I know how much you hate what your brother has become, after all you did to save him. But the fact is that you can't change the past." She squeezed his hand. "You can change the present. Search him out and talk to him. Maybe you can't tell him that the massacre was forced upon you by the council, but you can figure something out; you aren't called a genius for nothing. Just…don't die on me, okay?"
Itachi smiled, but it was a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Hana. The dying is necessary. Within the month Sasuke will find me and we will fight and I will ensure his victory. His life goal having been completed, I can only pray he returns to Konoha to restart his life, although I am almost positive that will not be the case. The more accurate assumption will go more along the lines of him either remaining on the lam for the rest of what will be his short life or, should he somehow discover the truth, he will be back to destroy Konoha. No matter what, it is unlikely he will happily return to Konoha, be accepted back by all with open arms, and create the more ideal version of the Uchiha clan, as I had wished."
Hana closed her eyes as he tightened his grip on her hand. "So are you really just coming here to say good-bye? I kind of doubt that now."
The ponytailed man was silent and his grip became more lax. After a moment, he said, "You might hate me after I explain this to you."
"If I still love you after everything you've put me through, I find that unlikely," she countered.
More silence. Hana was getting nervous. What could have the great Uchiha Itachi so unnerved?
Finally, "What are two of the most opposite clans in Konoha, without taking strength or numbers into consideration?"
She thought about it for a moment. "With strength and numbers aside, I guess that would leave behavior and morals to consider. So maybe the Hyuuga and the Nara? One's so strict and traditional and the other is so lazy." When she saw him shake his head, she sighed. "I know you wouldn't be here talking to me if it had something to do with the Hyuugas and the Naras. So I assume you're referring to the Uchiha and Inuzuka clans."
Itachi nodded. "Your clan is the exact opposite of mine: outgoing, adventurous, loud, friendly, loving, and willing to die for your brother instead of killing him. Your cousins are as close to you as your siblings and everyone looks out for each other. It's the ideal family clan. What would happen…" Here he paused and looked lost to words.
"Are you trying to say what I think you're trying to say? Because if you aren't, you'd better get out with it so I can stop worrying," Hana said.
The great Uchiha Itachi swallowed and took a deep breath. "What would happen if an Uchiha was raised by Inuzukas? If he or she was never influenced by the corruptness of the Copy Wheel-eyed? If he or she had all the power of the Sharingon but none of the madness?"
Hana was stunned silent. Eventually she was able to stutter out, "Are you asking me to be a brood mare? To have your child while you go off and kill yourself, then I raise it for the next however-many years so that it can restart your stupid clan? Are you really asking me to do that?"
"It sounds that way," Itachi admitted, frowning as she snatched her hands away from his. "But honestly, that's just the political vantage point." He raised his gaze back to her face and noticed confusion. "The emotional point is that I love you, Hana. And if what you've said still holds true, then you love me too. You've run through all my thoughts for the past eight years and I knew that when it came time for me to die, I needed to see you one last time. And I hoped that when that time came, you would have me." He reached up to her face and ran his fingers down her cheek. He took her chin in his forefinger and thumb. "The child was what I planned on suggesting if you were going for a more logical aspect. It's not a set part of the plan."
"Are…are you asking me if…?" Hana didn't finish the sentence. As he softly smiled in reply, she reached up and pulled his face to hers, crashing their lips together.
When the need for breath became more necessary, Hana let go of him and spoke. "As soon as I found out that we'd never see each other again I never planned on letting you leave before this."
He looked down into her ebony eyes, love radiating from every pore. But for a moment, his brow furrowed.
Knowing what he was thinking about, Hana said, "You said I didn't need to have your child, but I do. I just didn't want you to want to be with me only so the Uchiha line could live on. Your child will be as strong as any Uchiha and as loyal as any Inuzuka."
Itachi smiled and ran his hands through her long, brown hair, freeing it from its ponytail. His hands moved down to her waist and pulled her close.
Hana wrapped her arms around his neck and brought his head down to kiss him again. A thought came to her and, just as she was about to vocalize it, Itachi had scooped her into his arms and turned toward the window.
"I am well aware your mother, brother, and dogs, all with excellent hearing, are in this house as well," he whispered, his lips grazing her ear. "So I'll take us somewhere we don't have to worry about noise."
She shivered but smiled as he leapt out the window and onto the ground below, taking them somewhere she knew would be magical.
O-O-O-O-O
Hana was still slightly trembling as she rested her head on her lover's chest. The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon and she knew that meant that her time with Itachi was coming to an end- forever.
Itachi was staring at the lightening sky, his thoughts impossible to guess from his blank face. Hana looked at him and realized that nothing had ever been as perfect as that night. And it would never happen again. Was it any wonder she couldn't stop the tears that started to fall?
Itachi looked at her when the first drops fell onto his chest. He smiled sadly and took her chin in his index finger and thumb. "You're always the strong, confident girl. Don't let my last memories be of you crying."
She tried to glare at him, but failed. "What, you want me to be overjoyed? You want me to cheer that in less than an hour I'll be back in my room and you'll be off to your death? Very understandable, Itachi, loving someone doesn't mean you're in any way upset when you're spending your last minutes with him."
He grimaced slightly and kissed her forehead. She curled her body around his side and closed her eyes to better take in the moment.
After a short silence, she thought of something. "What names do you like, Itachi?"
She didn't look at his face, but she could feel his smile. "I don't know; I never thought about it much. How about Sas-"
"There's no way I'd ever name him after your son-of-a-bitch brother," she said. "I don't care what you say, he's the one going to kill you. We're not naming our child after him."
The Uchiha nodded. "Is there anyone you'd want to use the name of?"
Hana shook her head almost instantly. "It has to be something that's special to the both of us. I was never close to anyone in your family and you never met any of mine."
Itachi nodded in affirmation and looked pensive. "I always liked the names Mariko for a girl, or Katsuro for a boy."
"Those could be appropriate," Hana agreed. "Mariko means 'true village child'- hopefully she won't go leaving Konoha on us." She shot him a look and his expression turned sheepish. "And Katsuro means victorious prince. Personally, I think Kayo for a girl and Kazuki for a boy work well for this situation. 'Beautiful generation' or 'harmonious hope.' Or," she added, grinning wryly, "if we want to stick with the rodent-y animal theme, there's always Kawauso- otter."
"I never want to put my child through the torment of having an animal for a name that I had to go through," Itachi said with a quiet laugh. Then he grew silent and looked at the too-rapidly advancing sun. "Satoru," he whispered.
"That has a few meanings," Hana said just as quietly. "It can mean enlightened, fast learner, perceptive…or daybreak."
Itachi didn't respond. He just pulled Hana closer to him and kissed the top of her head. Even with his poor eyesight, he could tell that the morning was rapidly advancing; half an hour more and it was likely that a genin team out to training would come across them; he hadn't taken them too far into the forest, and they were still technically in Konoha.
Reuctantly, he managed to stand up and start to pull his clothes on. Hana followed suit, a little more slowly. Itachi left his Akatsuki cloak off; he was still fairly noticeable with his dark ponytail and heavy bags under his eyes, but from a distance it was less obvious wearing just his basic shirt and pants.
Hana finished pulling on the t-shirt she always slept in and turned to look at him. Her eyes had the same pained look as a wounded puppy; not that Itachi could see them very well. He took her hand and they walked solemnly back to her house.
O-O-O-O-O
They entered her window just as the first few people started to appear on the street. Nobody had seen them, nobody had heard them.
Hana couldn't stop shaking. Tears threatened to spill over once again as she realized she had just moments left with her beloved.
Itachi let go of her hand and she grabbed him and kissed him for all she was worth. Then she just clung to his shirt, trembling.
"Stop it, Hana," Itachi softly commanded.
"I can't stop, dammit," she squeaked out. "I can't be strong. I can't be tough like you know I am because I love you and this is the last time I'm ever going to see you. Please don't force me to be happy."
Itachi sighed and wrapped his arms around the brunette woman. He pressed his face to her hair and closed his eyes. "I love you, Hana," he whispered.
"I love you, Itachi," she whispered back. She knew the good-bye was coming soon. There was so much to say to each other; they had eight years of next-to-no contact. What had he been doing, where had he travelled, who had he-
That was one question she knew she needed to ask. "Itachi…while you were gone…was there ever anyone else that you…?"
"Never," he said immediately. "You were the only one I ever thought about. And it killed me every time I thought about you, because I was sure that you were back here happy and strong, barely thinking about me at all because you had moved on. Did you ever…" His question trailed off, but Hana could tell that he desperately wanted to know that answer. And she decided to answer honestly.
"Some guys asked me out," she confessed. "I said yes to a few. But none of them went anywhere. I haven't seen a guy for longer than two months since you. I couldn't be truly happy with a guy because- well, because none of them was you."
She felt him relax slightly, only to tense up just as fast.
"Don't think like that when I'm gone," he said sharply. "You need- I want you to find somebody else, to get married and have a family. Don't die alone for my sake; I'll be dead, it won't make a difference to me whether you're in love with somebody else or not. I just want to know you'll be happy."
"Please don't talk like that," Hana whimpered. "I can try, I will try…but it won't be easy. It'll take a while. And besides," she looked up into his eyes, smiling through her tears. "I won't be alone. I'll still have an Uchiha with me."
"You can't call him- or her- an Uchiha," Itachi said, shaking his head. "Keep the surname Inuzuka; it will make things less complicated."
"Yes, it will be a piece of cake hiding the kid's parentage when I start getting letters from the senseis saying, 'Please tell Katsuro to stop using the Sharingon during recess, it's scaring the other students.' I'm only afraid to let anyone know you're the father because I don't know if they'll try to hurt our child. I'm not ashamed, and I won't keep secrets or tell lies to our kid when they ask about Daddy."
"I'm sticking to my belief that Inuzuka will go over better than Uchiha," Itachi stated flatly. "Put whatever you want on the birth certificate, but don't let everyone know about Uchiha roots." Then he sighed and shook his head. "Hana, I have to go now. It'll be hard enough getting out of here unseen as it is, and the longer I remain here the more people I will have to avoid."
Hana looked deep into his eyes for a moment, then flung her arms around him and held him as close to herself as she possibly could. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. When they broke apart, she kissed him softly on the lips. "I love you," she said softly. She wanted to say it as many times as she could.
"I love you," the missing-nin repeated. He took her hand as he stared into her eyes for the last time. As he let go, their fingers caught for just a second. The last touch.
She couldn't bear to look as he slipped out the window once more, but looked back quickly when she heard him softly call, "Hana."
She ran to the window and looked down at her first and only love.
"I think I prefer Satoru to Katsuro," he said just loudly enough for her to hear.
And then he was gone.
Then she cried like she needed to.
O-O-O-O-O
The news came back to the village just a month later: Uchiha Sasuke had finally achieved his goal of killing his brother, Uchiha Itachi.
Hana heard about it when she was at the Hokage's office, having just informed Lady Tsunade that she would be unable to go on missions for a while. She politely excused herself, and then rushed out.
She didn't stop running until she reached that spot in the forest, that beautiful spot where she had spent the best night of her life. Then she sat down and hugged her knees to her chest and cried. It hadn't shocked her, really, but just hearing about it made it so final. There was no more guessing, no possibility that it wouldn't happen, no more wondering if any night now Itachi may steal into her room once again and tell her that he had decided against his death plan. She was finally alone.
Well, not truly alone. Hana wiped her eyes and looked down at her stomach. Just two weeks ago she had learned that she really was pregnant, extinguishing the very possible idea that she (and almost certainly Itachi) had had that they would not conceive. But now it was fact; and she would do everything she could to protect the unborn child inside of her. Itachi would stay with her.
Eight months later, Hana looked down at the pale boy with dark hair in her arms. He had every trace of an Uchiha imaginable: a pointed chin, narrow ebony eyes, and already the most beautiful face a baby could have. The only signs of the Inuzuka in him were the fang marks on his cheeks and some messier tuffs of his hair.
Hana smiled a tired smile at her son. "Satoru," she whispered, kissing his forehead.
Her little daybreak yawned and blinked.
Hana sighed contentedly and looked out the hospital window. There was no way to know how the future would treat her and her child, but nothing mattered now. She could feel Itachi's presence, smiling down at his family. She would make it through. Their love would go on.
O-O-O-O-O
Author's Note: I feel like this (understandably improbable) pairing doesn't get any love. And, honestly, I think it's possible; Hana and Itachi are/were the same age, and we classmates before Itachi went all "I'm the most freaking awesome ninja kid here" and graduated way early. So please send me a message telling me what you think, because I'm curious if a) anybody else really likes ItaHana and b) if I wrote this all right.
And thanks for reading!